One of the smartest, most insightful books I’ve ever read about the Web is The Cluetrain Manifesto. This book, subtitled The End of Business As Usual, was written by a group of Web pioneers way back in 2000, but it is still as fresh and smart today as it was when I first read it seven years ago. That’s a small miracle in the digital age, because most books about the Web written more than a year or two ago are now irrelevant or just plain wrong. The Cluetrain Manifesto is not only still vital, but just about everything predicted in it has come true. From the global transformation of the marketplace, to the power of conversation, to the rise of social marketing, it’s all here.

Here is a really nice paragraph from the book:

Business is being transformed, but not by technology. The Web is simply liberating an atavistic human desire, the longing for connection through talk. That’s the one constant throughout our evolution, from caves to mud huts to open-air bazaars, from city-states to empires, nations, interdependent global powers. We’ve always conversed, connecting to the people of our world in our authentic voices. We connect to ourselves the same way; that’s the mystery of voice.

If you want to really understand the transformative power of the Web, read the Cluetrain Manifesto. You can read the whole book online for free here, or better yet, buy a copy. It’s one of those books you’ll want to keep close at hand, to consult from time to time, whenever you need a clue as to what’s coming next.

Steven Stark is a freelance Creative Director/Conceptor/Writer who is clued in to the incredible power of social marketing. You can see his work, thrill to his career highlights and more at stevenstark.net.

Article Tags: Beneath the Brand | Christopher Locke | Cluetrain Manifesto | David Weinberger | Doc Searls | Rick Levine | Steven Stark | Web
Filed under: Book Review, Branding, Industry News, Marketing Innovation, Social Media Marketing, Steven Stark